Signs Of Abuse – Know Them! Spot Them! Lend Your Support!

The signs of domestic abuse are often not visible. Knowing how to spot them might help you save yourself or a person you love. #WomenOnTheMove.

Abuse is not always physical and it is not always visible. One of the most dangerous kinds of abuse is emotional abuse. However, regardless of whether it is physical, emotional or of some other form, abuse is always about exercising control over another human being. The abusive partner uses oppression as a means to assert his or her privileges and dominance against the other person.

Abuse is not gender specific. However, it is seen that the vast majority of abuse victims are women. One might argue, why do women bear the abuse? Why don’t they speak up? Well, it is not as easy as it looks. Most of the times, especially in emotional abuse, women are not even aware that they are being abused. Then there are others who misinterpret emotional or technological abuse as being signs of possessiveness and love of their partners. Plus, victims of abuse receive very little practical or emotional support.

Last week, in our weekly #WomenOnTheMove chat over at Twitter, we discussed on how to spot the signs of abuse and how can we help the victims to break the cycle of abuse. This is what they said.

Spotting the signs of abuse

Whether it is you or someone you know and love, helping a victim and breaking the cycle of abuse can only happen if you know what to look for.

A1. Isolation followed by a counter effort to act breezy–in case you try to pry. #WomenOnTheMove

Isolation is a tactic that the abuser resorts to so that he/she can keep the abuse hidden from the public eye. If the victim is isolated, he/she cannot seek help. Continuous isolation leaves the victim delirious and confused. They refuse public interaction which in turn emboldens the abuser to carry on with the abuse.

A1 Person being quiet, hesitant to interact, bruises, gives unconvincing excuses, can hint to the person being abused. #WomenOnTheMove

Reaching out

For a victim, who isn’t even aware that he/she is being abused, breaking the cycle of abuse might not be an option. In these scenarios, reaching out to the victim, making them aware of the abuse and helping them out of it might be a challenge.

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